CENTENNIAL  DISCOURSE,     8 


DELIVERED    BEFORE    THE 


I 


CHICOPEE,  SEPT.  26,  1S52. 


By    E.    B.    CLARK, 

Pastor  of  the  Church,  which  was  Organized  September  9,  1752. 


PUBLISHED  BY  REQUEST  OF  THE  PARISHIONERS. 


SPRINGFIELD: 

GEORGE  W.  WILSON'S  STEAM  POWER  PRESSES. 

1852. 


I 


f  xwt  Ci0^H0Wgati0titixll  S0tietii| 


^ 


% 


UNIVERSITY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS 
AT  AMHERST 


I 


UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

Special  Collections  &  Rare  Books 


CENTENNIAL  DISCOURSE, 


DELIVERED    BEFORE    THE 


irst  C0iigri:0ati0niil  00cx^ti| 


IN 


CHICOPEE,  SEPT.  26,  1852. 


By    E.    B.    CLARK, 

Pastor  of  the  Clmrch,  which  was  Organized  September  9,  1752, 


PUBLISHED  BY  REQUEST  OF  THE  PARISHIONERS. 


SPRINGFIELD: 

GEORGE  W.  WILSON'S  STEAM  POWER  PRESSES. 

18  5  2. 


DISCOURSE. 


ISAIAH    LIX:  21. 

"  As  for  me,  this  is  my  covenant  with  them  saith  the  Lord :  my  spirit 
that  is  upon  them,  and  my  words  which  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth, 
shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed, 
nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed,  saith  the  Lord,  from  hence- 
forth and  forever.'- 

The  great  means  of  perpetuating  the  institutions  of  religion 
are  God\  Word  and  Spirit.  These  he  grants  to  l.is  people  in  such 
measures  as  they  are  prepared  to  receive  and  improve.  The 
pious  parent,  taking  the  word  of  God  as  his  rule  of  life,  regards 
it  as  above  all  price,  and  he  teaches  it  faithfully  to  his  children, 
invoking  the  divine  blessing  upon  his  labors.  For  he  knows  that 
without'the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  good  seed  oftiie  word  will 
not  spring  up  and  grow;  he  is  therefore  no  less  anxious  to  secure 
the  Spirit's  aid,  than  to  sow  the  seed.  And  thus  through  the 
agency  of  the  Spirit,  and  faithful  parental  training,  the  promises 
of  God  are  secured  and  piety  is  handed  down  through  successive 
generations. 

It  is  therefore  one  of  the  greatest  blessings,  to  have  a  pious  an- 
cestry, the  influence  of  whose  prayers,  and  godly  life  reach  down 
to  the  latest  generations.  Thus  it  is,  that  God  by  his  Word  and 
Spirit  perpetuates  the  institutions  of  religion  through  the  line  of 
his  people.  And  it  is  a  remarkably  interesting  fact,  that  most  of 
those,  who  are  sincerely  and  truly  pious,  had  a  devoted  ancestry. 
They  have  been  trained  up  in  a  christian  family  by  those  who 
themselves  were  familiar  with  the  family  altar  in  childhood,  and 
were  regularly  led  to  the  house  of  God  on  the  Sabbath.  We 
shall  find  these  remarks  confirmed  by  the  investigation  which  we 
are  about  to  make  into  the  history  of  this  people. 


4 

It  is  always  interesting  to  gather  up  the  relics  of  the  past,  and 
place  ourselves  for  the  time,  amid  the  scenes  and  circumstances 
in  which  our  fathers  lived  and  died.  We  thus  place  the  past 
and  present, side  hy  side,  and  are  qualified  to  judge  of  the  pro- 
gress of  events,  to  sympathise  with  our  fathers  in  their  j»rivations 
and  labors,  and  honor  them  for  their  deeds  of  virtue  and  valor. 

It  was  early  in  the  spring  of  1036,  that  ^^m.  l*ynchon  Esq., 
Henry  Smith,  John  Burr,  and  others,  came  from  Roxbury  to  the 
Connecticut  river,  and  settled  with  their  families  in  Agawam, 
which  is  now  Springfield.  The  original  settlement  retained  the 
name  of  Agawam  till  April  JGth,  1040,  when  the  inhabitants  in  a 
general  meeting,  ordained  that  thereafter  it  should  be  called 
Springfielil. 

The  limits  of  the  town  by  various  ]Mirchases  of  the  Indians, 
were  not  very  definitely  fixfd.but  comprised  a  territory  of  nrarly 
twenty-five  miles  s(]uare,  embracing  West  Springfield,  Westfieid, 
Soutbwick,  Suffield,  Enfield,  Longmeadow,  Somers,  V\  ilbraham 
and  Ludlow.  But  the  settlement  was  for  many  years  confined 
chiefly  to  the  village  of  Springfield.  Those  pioneers  catne  not 
into  the  wilderness  to  escape  from  the  restraints  nor  the  burden  of 
supporting  religious  institutions,  for  it  was  only  the  next  year  after 
the  arrival  of  the  first  families,  that  a  Christian  Church  was 
gathered,  and  Rev.  George  Moxon  settled  over  it  in  tlie  ministry. 

With  the  surrounding  Indian  tribes  our  fathers  lived  on  terms 
of  the  utmost  cordiality  and  friendship.  All  the  lands  that  came 
into  their  possession,  were  purchased  fairly  and  honorably,  and 
to  the  entire  satisfnction  of  the  natives,  who  harbored  no  feelings 
of  hostility  to  the  English. 

As  an  evidence  of  this  is  the  following  interesting  circumstance. 

In  1637,  the  next  year  after  the  first  families  ariived  and  es- 
tablished themselves  on  the  present  site  of  Springfield,  occurred 
the  Pequot  war,  to  defray  the  expenses  of  which,  this  colony, 
together  w  ith  those  at  Windsor  and  Hartford,  was  very  heavily 
taxed.  Consequently  the  next  winter  being  one  of  uncommon 
severity,  the  three  colonies  were  reduced  to  a  state  of  alarming 
distress 

"  In  this  emergency  three  men  were  sent  among  the  Indians 
above,  in  search  of  bread  stufts  ;  and  their  mission  was  entirely 
successful.  On  that  occasion,  our  river  exhibited  a  spectacle, 
never  before,  certainly  never  since,  seen  upon  its  waters.  A 
fleet  of  fifty   canoes    laden    with    corn,  the    product  of  the  rich 


meadows  of  Pocomptuck,  was  at  once  launched  upon  the  stream 
and  borne  onward  by  the  force  of  the  current,  and  urged  forward 
by  the  powerful  arm  of  tlie  red  man,  and  carried  instant  relief  to 
the  half  starved,  sufiering  strangers." 

Such  was  the  friendly  state  of  feeling  existing  between  the  En- 
glish and  Indians  in  those  early  days.  Our  fathers  came  among 
them  not  to  defraud  and  expel  them  as  enemies,  but  to  live  with 
them  on  terms  of  equality,  to  teach  them  habits  of  industry,  to 
traffic  with  them,  and  do  them  good. 

Thus  the  white  man  and  the  red  man  lived  as  neighbors  and 
friends  for  forty  years.  In  1675  the  whole  scene  was  changed, 
the  hour  had  arrived  in  which  the  n'.omentons  question  was  to  be 
settled,  whether  the  whites  were  to  be  extirpated  from  the  land 
of  their  adoption,  or  the  red  men  subdued,  and  scattered  and 
driven  from  the 'place  of  their  fathers'  sepulchers. 

By  the  agency  ()f  Pliilip  of  Pokanoket,  the  youngest  son  of 
Massasoit,  a  uiiioii.  wn's  formed  for  a  "  general  rising  of  the  na- 
tives to  sweep  the  hated  intruders  from  the  ancient  hunting 
grounds  of  the  Indian  race." 

Among  others  the  colony  at  Springfield  was  marked  for  the 
slaughter,  and  j-o  artfully  the  treacherous  plot  was  laid,  that  de- 
struction must  have  i)een  the  result,  but  for  a  timely  Avarningfrom 
their  friends  at  W^indsor.  Aroused  by  the  alarm  of  impending 
danger,  they  fled  in  consternalion  to  the  forts,  and  were  saved 
with  the  exception  of  two  men  and  (me  woman.  Tiie  savao-es 
pillaged  the  town,  and  committed  twenty-nine  houses  and  nearly 
as  many  barns  to  the  flames,  and  destroyed  all  the  mills.  It  was 
in  the  month  of  October,  crops  had  been  gathered  in,  and  the 
winter  stores  of  the  colonists  were  swept  away   as  in  a  moment. 

Thus  amid  the  ashes  of  their  dwellings  and  the  destruction  of 
their  gathered  harvests,  the  colonists  looked  with  fearful  apprehen- 
sion upon  the  ap[)roaching  winter.  But  a  merciful  God  who  stays 
his  rough  wind  in  the  day  of  the  east  wind,  so  ordered  that  the 
winter  was  uncommonly  mild,  and  the  stores  that  escaped  the 
flames  supplied  the  need  of  the  colonists. 

In  the  midst  of  these  dark  and  terrific  scenes,  was  the  family 
of  Deac.  Samuel  Chapin,*  who  died  Nov.  11th,  1675,  in  a  single 
month  after  the  burning  of  Springfield.  Deacon  Chapin  came 
from  England  or  Wales,  and  arrived  at  Springfield  with  his  f*amily 

*  Deacon  Chapin.  was  the  ancestor  of  nearly  all  the  Chapins  in  this  country. 


(of  four  sons  and  two  daughters)  at  an  early  period,  and  became  a 
leading  man  in  the  town.  Another  daughter  w  as  born  in  Spring- 
field in  1644,  so  that  his  arrival  must  have  been  at  a  previous 
date.  In  the  year  1664,  28  years  after  the  settlement  of  Springs 
field,  two  of  the  sons  of  Dea.  Samuel  Chapin,  Japhet  and  Henry, 
married.  Henry  married  Betliia  daughter  of  Benjamin  Cooley 
of  Longraeadovv,  and  Japhet  was  married  the  preceding  July  to 
Abilene  daughter  of  Samuel  Cooley  of  Milford.  After  remain- 
ing a  few  years  in  the  village  of  Springfield,  the  two  brothers  re- 
moved to  this  northern  section  of  the  town.  I  have  not  been  able 
to  ascertain  the  precise  year  of  their  settlement,  nor  whether  they 
both  came  m  the  same  year. 

In  1066  two  years  after  tlie  marriage  of  these  two  sons,  Deac. 
Samuel  purchased  of  Mr.  John  Pynchona  large  tract  of  land, 
embracing  most  oi  the  river  flats /lying  belwe^  the  Chicopee 
River,  and  IVillimansett  brook  or  Wallamansick  as  it  was  then 
spelt.  • 

In  the  month  of  April  1673,  Samuel,  the  fiUher,  deeded  to  his 
son  Japhet,  a  large  jjortion  of  the  tract  which  h'e  had  purchased 
of  Major  Pynchon  And  the  probability  is  that  about  this  time, 
the  two  brothers  removed  to  this  section  of  the  town,  as  pioneers 
in  the  wilderness. 

About  180  years  ago  our  now  beautiful  and  highly  cultivated 
plain,  was  a  howling  wilderness.  Here  was  the  undisturbed  lair 
of  the  wild  beast,  and  the  savage  warrior  found  a  safe  retreat 
from  his  pursuers  in  the  tangled  thicke.h  Hither  the  two  broth- 
ers Japhet  and  Henry  came  anchplanted  themselves  down  in  the 
midst  of  the  forest.  Except  a  house  on  the  south  side  of  Chico- 
pee River,  their  nearest  neighbors  lived  in  the  village  of  Springfield. 

•Taphet  built  his  house  at  the  north  end  of  what  is  now  Chicopee 
Street,  a  little  north,  and  west  of  the  house  now  owned  by  Mr. 
Ogden,  on  the  next  lower  offset,  where  he  had  a  charming  view 
of  the  river,  and  the  hills  on  the  opposite  shore.  Henry  located 
somewhere  toward  the  lower  end  of  the  street.  They  together  at 
that  time  owned  most  of  the  land  lying  between  Chicopee  River 
and  Willimansett  brook,  and  extending  some  distance  eastward 
on  to  the  plain. 

These  men  had  been  faithfully  trained  up  from  their  childhood 
in  the  ways  of  virtue  and  religion  by  their  pious  father,  and 
evinced  in  their  lives  that  these  parental  labors  were  not  in  vain. 
For  though  the  house  of  God  was  nearly  six  miles  distant,  through 


a  pathless  wilderness,  and  across  the  unbridged  river,  the  return 
of  each  sabbath-day  found  these  men  punctually  in  their  places 
in  the  house  of  God.  Japhet  particularly  was  distinguished  for 
his  devoted  piety.  And  he  had  need  of  piety  to  sustain  him  amid 
the  heavy  trials  that  awaited  him;  for  a  daughter  was  to  be  carried 
captive  by  the  merciless  savages.  The  days  of  peace  and  friend- 
ship with  the  Indians,  which  had  continued  for  forty  years,  were 
passed  away,  so  that  the  red  man  was  now  a  constant  source  of 
fear  and  alarm  to  our  fathers.  Their  fire-arras  for  defense  were 
their  constant  companions  in  the  field  and  by  the  way,  and  they 
went  even  to  the  house  of  God  on  the  sabbath  "  as  when  one  go- 
eth  down  to  the  battle." 

Hannah  the  second  daughter  of  Japhet  married  John  Sheldon 
of  Deerfield,  Dec.  3d,  1703,  and  removed  to  that  frontier  town, 
and  lived  in  the  house  of  his  father,  Capt.  John  Sheldon.  On 
the  night  of  the  29th  of  the  next  Feburary,  in  a  little  less  than  three 
months  after  the  ma(friage,  occured  one  of  those  terrific  scenes, 
which  no  tonguecan  adequately  describe.  That  evening  the 
happy  villagers  of  that  town  retired  to  rest  with  the  usual  pros- 
pect of  a  quiet  night,  but  they  were  aroused  from  tiieir  midnight 
slumbers,  by  the  war  cry  of  the  savages,  to  behold  their  buildings 
in  flames  and  themselves  in  captivity.  Being  unable  to  force  the 
door  of  Capt.  Sheldon's  house,  the  Indians  made  a  hole  with  their 
hatchets,  and  thrusting  in  a  musket,  fired  and  killed  the  Captain's 
wife.  The  son  and  wife  leaped  from  the  chamber  window  to 
make  their  escape,  by  which  effort  she  sprained  her  ancle  and 
was  taken  captive  while  he  escgiped. 

The  prisoners  numbering  112,  amongst  whom  were  Hannah 
wife  of  John  Sheldon,  and  Rev.  John  Williams  pastor  of  the 
church,  and  his  family,  were  taken  to  Canada,  and  after  about 
two  years  were  redeemed. 

Religion  was  a  needful  antidote  to  the  anguish  of  a  father's 
heart,  as  he  thought  of  his  daughter  in  captivity. 

About  this  time  Japhet  received  a  sympathising  letter  from  his 
brother  in  Mendon,  comforting  him  under  his  afllictions,  which 
letter  I  here  present  entire — verbatim  et  literatim. 

mendon,  AprelSth,  1704. 
Deare  Brother: 

1  cannot  with  my   pen  express  the  con- 

sernedness  of  sperit  that  is  in  me  for  you  and  my  deare  cusen 


that  is  led  captive  by  the  barbarous  heathen,  god  is  by  such  dis- 
pensations trying'  the  faith  and  patience  of  his  children,  it  is 
therefore  my  dayly  request  that  god  will  support  her  in  body 
and  sperit  and  her  bodely  captivity  may  prove  to  her  speretual 
enlargment,  and  that  god  wil  please  to  give  you  comfort  in  hope, 
knowing  thaf  god  is  able  to  find  out  a  way  for  escape,  tho  no 
way  appears  to  us.  as  abraham  being  called  to  ofler  up  his  Son 
Isaac,  who  did  it  willingly  knowing  that  god  was  able  to  rais  him 
from  the  dead,  these  afflictions  arise  not  out  of  the  dust,  but 
there  is  a  cause,  we  are  redy  to  complaine  of  the  french  and  In- 
dian enemis,  but  they  are  not  the  cause,  but  as  it  was  sometine 
said  to  Jerusalem,  yower  wais  and  yower  doings  hath  procured 
these  things  to  thyself.  So  may  new  england  say  that  our  sins 
have  brought  the  Sword  of  the  wildenness  upon  us.  I  do  therefore 
believe  there  must  be  a  general  Reformation  before  the  rod  of 
god  will  be  taken  off  from  us.  Brother  I  long  to  see  you,  and 
did  intend  to  have  given  you  a  visit  this  next  month  but  multitud 
ofbusnis  publik  and  pirtiquler  throngs  me  so  that  I  have  no 
prospect  of  coming  this  spring,  though  I  cannot  come  to  see  you 
yeat  I  shall  be  glad  to  heare  from  you  by  all  oppertunities 
thorow  the  little  time  that  is  remaining  to  us  heare,  and  that  our 
prayers  may  dayly  meet  at  thethron  of  grace  and  that  we  may  so 
demeane  ourselves  heare  that  at  last  we  may  have  a  joyeful  me- 
ting in  the  kingdom  of  glorey,  so  with  kind  love  and  Respects  to 
yovverself  and   my  sister,  wish  my    love  to  all   my  cusens  I    Rest 

yower  loving  brother, 

Josiah  Chapin. 

After  the  death  of  Japhet  Chapin  in  1712  the  children  received 
a  lengthy  letter  from  Rev  John  Williams  of  Deerfield,  instruct- 
ing them  concerning  the  improvement  which  they  should  make 
of  his  death  and  speaking  of  him  as  having  been  a  man  of  great 
piety.  This  letter  the  record  states  was  in  the  hands  of  Deacon 
Edward  Chapin  before  he  died. 

Japhet  left  six  sons,  Samuel,  Thomas,  John,  Ebenezer,  David, 
and  Jonathan,  all  of  whom  were  settled  along  on  the  s':reet  near 
to  each  other.  Henry  Chapin  left  but  two  sons,  Henry  and  Ben- 
jamin. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  the  locality  of  the  house  of 
the  father,  nor  that  of  either  of  the  sons.  I  think  that  Henry  built 
south  of  the  Chicopee,  and  Benjamin  on  the  north    side. 


Although  a  few  others  came  in  and  settled  here  from  time  to 
lime,  still  for  many  years  the  Chapin  families  occupied  nearly  the 
whole  territory.  In  1753  there  were 27  persons  taxed  as  belong- 
ing to  this  parish  and  20  out  of  the  whole  27  are  Chapins. 

The  8  sons  of  Japhet  and  Henry  Chapin  had  each  large  fami- 
lies, amounting  in  all  to  87  children.  Samuel  had  10,  Thomas 
11,  John  8,  Ebenezer  13,  H  sons — David  12,  10  sons — Jonathan 
II,  Henry  10  and  Benjamin  12,  making  to  Henry  Chapin  22 
grand-children  and  to  Japhet  G5,  from  their  sons  alone. 

Here  these  men  lived,  and  trained  up  theirnumerous  families, 
toiling  for  their  daily  bread  through  the  week,  and  taking  those 
who  could  go  to  the  distant  sanctuary  on  the  sabbath.  All  but 
one  of  these  8  sons  of  Japhet  and  Henry  lived  to  be  more  than 
three  score  years  and  ten,  the  youngest  was  64  and  the  oldest  95 
when  he  died.  These  all  became  old  men  and  saw  their  numerous 
children  settled  around  them,  and  their  children's  children  rising 
up  on  every  side,  when  all  the  religious  privileges  they  enjoyed 
aside  from  those  of  the  family  altar,  were  obtained  by  going  to 
the  distant  center  of  the  town  on  the  sabbath. 

Of  course  with  the  greatest  exertions  on  their  part,  with  no 
means  of  conveyance  but  horses  on  which  they  rode,  but  a  small 
portion  of  this  community  Cfuild  visit  the  public  sanctuary  on  the 
sabbath.  INIany  of  the  women,  the  little  children  and  the  fee- 
ble must  necessarily  spend  the  long  hours  of  their  sabbath  days  at 
home.  And  thus,  with  no  sabbath  schools  and  books  of  religious 
instruction  but  the  Bible,  unless  it  might  be  the  New  England 
Primer,  and  by  the  reverence  for  the  holy  day  which  prevailed 
in  those  early  times,  and  the  strictness  with  which  they  were  accus- 
tomed to  observe  it,  the  sabbath  day  must  have  been  long  and 
tedious  to  the  young  fiimilies  of  our  fathers.  And  yet,  notwith- 
standing all  the  disadvantages  under  which  they  lived,  from  the 
character  of  the  men  that  were  thus  trained,  we  have  no  question 
that  on  every  pleasant  sabbath  morning  a  large  company  from 
the  settlement  north  of  the  Chicopee  were  present  in  the  old 
meeting  house  in  Springfield. 

"For  (I  quote  from  an  old  record  bearing  date  1743,)it  is  consid- 
ered disorderly  for  persons  to  be  away  from  home,  and  absent 
from  the  stated  worship  of  tiie  families  and  religious  meetings 
unless  it  be  in  very  extraordinary  cases." 

I  seem  to  see  them  now,  the  fathers  mothers  and  children,  some 
on  foot  and  some  mounted  on  their  well  trained  horses,  wending 
2 


10 

their  way  soberly  and  seriously  tluoiigh  the  tall  forests  ihnt  over- 
shadow their  lone  pathway,  till  they  reach  the  house  of  God. — 
There  they  how  in  reverence,  and  offer  their  ]>rayers  and 
praises,  listen  to  instruction  from  the  oracles  of  God,  and  retnjn 
at  evening  to  ponder  the  truths  they  have  heard,  and  reduce  them 
to  practice  in  the  daily  avocations  of  life. 

But  these  godly  men  were  not  content  to  remain  with  the  ri- 
sing generation  around  them  so  far  away  from  the  privileiijes  of 
the  sanctuary  ;  hence  in  the  spring  of  1750,  they  applied  to  the 
<ieneral  Court,  and  received  on  the  10th  of  June,  1751,  an  act  of 
incorporation  as  the  5th  j)arish  of  Springfield.  The  first  parish 
meeting  was  called  on  the  13th  day  of  July  following.  Another 
n)eeting  was  held  in  August,  at  which  time  the  first  steps  were 
taken  toward  building  a  meeting  house,  and  another  in  October 
following  with  reference  to  obtaining  a  Pastor.  And  not  trusting 
to  their  own  wisdom  they  reverently  applied  to  the  Association 
for  advice  respecting  a  candidate  for  settlement. 

This  advice  was  obtained,  and  accordingly  the  services  of  Mr. 
John  Mcl\instry  were  engaged  for  a  quarter  of  a  year.  Hav- 
ing preached  for  them  the  stipulated  time,  at  another  parish  mee- 
ting on  the  7th  January,  1752,  iSlr.  McKinstry  received  a  unani- 
mous call  tosetile  with  them  in  the  gospel  Ministry,  but  the  nego- 
tiations respecting  the  salary  continued  till  the  7ih  of  the  next 
June,  when  all  those  matters  were  arranged,  and  the  time  of  the 
Ordination  was  voted  to  be  on  the  9th  day  of  the  next  September. 
The  question  arises,  whether  the  Church  was  organized  on  the 
day  of  Ordination,  or  at  a  previous  day.  It  would  seem  that  the 
Church  must  have  been  formed  at  a  jirevious  day,  and  from  an 
old  diary  kept  as  I  suppose  by  Deac  Edward  Chapin,  this  opin- 
ion might  be  confirmed,  which  is  the  following,  "  March  15,  1752. 
This  day  the  Rev.  Mr.  Breck  administered  the  Lord's  supper  to  us 
in  the  5th  parish." 

I  also  find  amonj^st  the  old  papers  a  Church  list,  bearing  date  of 
June  1752,  containing  43  names,  and  the  tax  assessed  uiion  each 
one  for  defraying  the  expenses  of  the  communion.  From  all  this 
we  should  naturally  infer  that  the  church  was  organized  before  this 
time.  And  yet  in  all  the  parish  votes,  and  in  the  communication 
which  the  parish  received  from  the  Association  approving  their  do- 
intTs  in  giving  Rlr.  McKinstry  a  call,  there  is  no  mention  of  a 
Church,  and  no  intimation  that  such  a  distinct  organization  existed. 
Neither  is  there   an  intimation   of  any    actio^i  of  the   Church    as  a 


11 

distinct  body,  till  llie  dny  the  pnstor  was  settled.  I  tlierelore  con- 
clude ihai  tlie  Church  was  (jrirariized  on  the  same  day  of  the  ordi- 
nation, which  was  the  9ih  of  Sept.,  175"2  :  and  as  nearly  as  I  can 
ascertain  consisted  of  43  members  Some  of  these  were  living  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Connecticut,  as  the  parish  then  embraced  all 
the  northern  part  of  the  town  of  \V.  Springfield.  All  but  eleven  of 
the  43,  are  Chapins.  The  Pastor's  salary  was  to  be  gradually  in- 
creased for  four  yenrs,  from  £49  Gs.  8d.  to  £62  13s.  4d.  and  thus 
it  was  to  remain.  One  half  of  the  salary  was  to  be  paid  in  lawful 
money,  and  the  other  half  in  grain  at  the  market  price.  In  addition 
to  tills,  he  was  to  have,  as  the  parish  first  voted,  20  cords  of  good 
mercliMntiibie  wood.  Then  it  wns  voted,  that  they  add  one  cord  a 
yeiir  till  it  reiiched  30  cords,  and  that  was  to  be  ever  after  the  fixed 
anioinit  of  wood.  Subsequently  it  was  voted,  that  the  worthy  Mr. 
RJcKiiisiry  shall  be  always   provided  with  a  sufficiency  of  firewood. 

According  to  a  pnrisii  vote  of  June  24ih,  the  27th  of  August  was 
observed  ms  a  day  of  f;istiiig  and  prayer,  to  implore  the  divine  bles- 
sing and  assistance  in  reference  to  the  occasion  of  settling  their 
minister.  'J'he  clergymen  convened  on  the  occasion,  were  Rev. 
Rlessis.  Stephen  V\  illiams  of  Longmeadovv,  Samuel  Hopkins  of  W. 
Spriuiifield,  Peter  Raynolds  of  Enfield,  Ct.,  Robert  Breck  of  Spring- 
field, xNoah  Merrick  of  Will)raham,  and  John  McKinstry  of  Elling- 
ton, Ct.,  the  lather  of  the  candidate. 

All  hut  one  of  the  six  simis  of  J.iphet  Chapin  and  both  the  sons 
of  !]■  nry,  were  living  at  tiiis  time,  and  their  names  with  one  excep- 
tion ( I^lieru  zer,)  1  find  on  the  church  record. 

At  ihe  time  if  the  ordination,  the  meeting  house  was  in  an  unfin- 
ished state,  li  wiis  raised  "  on  ihe  5ih  of  Jt.ne,  1752,  through  the 
indulgence  of  heaven  w  th  great  joy  and  safety."  And  in  Dec.  fol- 
lowing' at  a  parisli  meeting  it  was 

"  Viilcd,  to  cover  the  outside  of  the  rneeting  house  with  quarter 
boards,  to  glaze  ail  the  windows,  to  do  the  jilasieiing  overhead,  and 
to  finish  the  lower  p:iri  of  the  house."  Such  being  the  state  of  the 
house,  tiiey  were  ol  cour,-e  unable  to  meet  In  it  for  the  present. 

On  the  ne.Kt  November,  I7.">3,  all  things  were  ready,  the  new 
meeting  house  was  completed,  and  agreeable  to  the  customs  of  those 
early  da\s,  a  committee  was  chosen  in  parish  meeting  to  perforin 
the  delicate  and  respou.-ible  duty  of  sealing  the  meeting  house,  with 
liberiv  duly  granted  by  vole,  to  seat  men  and  women  together.  The 
rule  of  se.iting  was  the  list  tax  li-l.  The  usual  cii-ioiri  at  a  later 
day  was  lo  go  by  the  are  and  list.     Tins  ciisioiii  of  sealing  a  houee 


12 

of  worship  by  a  committee,  has  passed  away,  never  to  return, 
I  can  find  no  intimation  that  there  was  any  thing  like  a  [)ul)lic 
dedication  of  the  house  ;  but  as  these  old  men,  beiuJing  with  nge, 
the  sons  of  Japhet  and  Henry  assembled  at  the  roll  of  tiie  drum,  and 
entered  these  courts  of  the  Lord  to  unite  in  the  solemnities  of  |  ub- 
lic  worship,  and  felt  that  at  last  they  had  secured  a  tabernacle  for 
the  Lord  in  their  midst,  where  he  might  record  his  name,  at  d  a 
minister  to  break  unto  them  and  to  their  posterity  the  bread  of  life, 
their  pious  hearts  were  jubilant  with  praise  to  God,  for  his  loving 
kindness  to  them  and  to  their  children;  and  thus  these  humble 
courts  were  solemnly  and  sincerely  dedicated  to  the  Lord. 

Benjamin  son  of  Henry,  and  David  son  of  Japhet,  each  70  years 
of  age,  were  elected  deacons  of  the  church.  After  3  years  Dea. 
Benjamin  went  to  his  rest  at  the  age  of  73,  but  Dea.  D.ivid  lived 
and  served  his  generation  fur  20  years  longer,  and  after  an  illness  of  a 
single  week,  slept  with  the  fathers  at  the  age  of  90  years,  in  177'2. 
He  was  evidently  a  man  greatly  beloved  and  venerated,  and  was  em- 
inently devoted  and  useful  to  the  last,  a  pillar  indeed  in  the  Church 
of  God.  It  was  said  of  him  by  a  poet  of  that  day,  "  speaking  freely 
of  the  patriarch  David," 

''  He  was  an  Israelite  indeed, 

In  whom  there  was  no  guile  ; 
His  reason  and  his  mental  powers 

Did  service  to  him  give, 
And  to  his  friends  and  kindred  near, 

Almost  while  he  did  live. 
Sometime  before  he  left  this  world, 

It  was  his  good  desire, 
That  he  no  longer  should  abide, 

Than  service  would  require  ; 
And  as  this  was  his  holy  wish, 

He  had  his  sweet  request ; 
And  by  an  illness  very  short. 

Went  peacefully  to  rest." 

Dea.  Sam'l.  Cooper  was  probably  elected  to  the  office  to  filJ 
the  place  of  Dea.  Bei-jamin  Chapin,  but  all  that  we  know  of  iiini 
is  that  he  lived  on  the  west  side  of  the  Connecticut  River.  Though 
Dea.  David  Chapin  had  finished  his  course  and  gone  to  his  rest, 
and  the  church  mourned  for  him  as  for  a  father,  yet  he  had  left 
amongst  them  a  deep  and  visible  impress  of  his  sincere  and  devo- 
ted piety.     His  son  Edward  was  28  years  of  age  when  the   fath- 


13 

er  died  ;  he  was  elected  Dea.,  took  his  father's  mantle  and  bnre 
it  28  years  and  died  in  1800,  at  the  age  of  76.  It  was  during  his 
hfe  that  the  parish  was  divided,  and  the  portion  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river  became  a  separate  parish  in  1786. 

Three  years  after  the  division  of  the  parish,  by  which  it  was 
much  weakened,  and  the  pastor  becomin<j[  old  and  infirm,  a  mu- 
tual council  was  called,  and  a  new  arrangement  was  made  be- 
tween him  and  his  people. 

By  that  arrangement  Mr,  McKinstry  was  to  retain  his  pastoral 
relation  to  the  Church  and  Society,  but  he  was  to  preach,  adnjin- 
ister  the  ordinances,  solemnize  marriages,  attenil  funerals  and 
visit  the  sick,  as  he  miglit  be  invited,  and  was  to  receive  a  salary 
of  <£18  and  15  cords  of  wood  during  his  life;  provided  however, 
another  mmister  was  settled  over  the  parish  this  sum  was  to  he 
reduced  to  £\2  a  year.  For  some  cause  the  salary  was  not 
promptly  paid,  and  the  pastor  had  claims  on  the  parish  for  old 
arrearages,  that  ran  i)ack  for  years  before  the  division  took  place  ; 
and  those  of  the  new  parish  on  the  west  side  of  the  river,  felt  that 
by  the  division,  they  were  released  from  all  obligations  to  their 
former  Pastor,  and  refused,  or  were  reluctant  to  pay  their  pro- 
portion of  these  arrearages.  Hence  followed  a  long  and  bitter 
controversy,  producing  alienation,  and  greatly  weakening  the 
parish  in  numbers  and  ability.  After  he  relinquished  preaching, 
Mr.  McKinstry  lived  for  24  years  and  died  Nov.  9,  IS  13,  aged 
90  years.  So  long  as  he  was  able,  he  met  with  the  people  on  the 
Sabbath,  gave  out  the  hymns  and  led  in  the  devotional  services, 
while  a  sermon  was  read  by  some  other  person.  Dr.  Lathrop  of 
West  Springfield  preached  his  funeral  sermon  from  Gen.  25, 
8.  "  Then  Abraham  gave  up  the  ghost  and  died  in  a  good  old 
age,  an  old  man  and  full  of  years." 

Of  him  the  Dr.  thus  speaks  : 

"  Mr.  McKinstry  was  a  man  of  good  natural  talents,  a  respect- 
able scholar  and  sound  divine.  His  preaching,  though  it  sufl^ered 
some  disadvantage  from  the  feebleness  of  his  delivery,  yet  was  ed- 
ifying to  his  stated  hearers.  He  was  a  man  of  exemplary  piety, 
of  a  candid  spirit,  of  a  modest,  humble  disposition,  of  great  resig- 
nation under  trials,  of  steady,  unwavering  patience  under  long 
continued  infirmities,  and  of  christian  fortitude  and  hope  in  view 
of  approaching  dissolution." 

Thirteen  years  previous  to  the  tieath  of  his  Pastor,  Dea.  Ed- 
ward Chapin  fell  asleep.     From  what  I  can  gather  of  his  charac- 


14 


ter  as  n  parent,  a  citizen  and  a  chiistian,  T  Imve  no  hesitation  in 
proMouiicinji'  liiiri  a  l)niiiin<i  and  a  siiiiiiui!;  Ii<iiit.  For  many  \  eMS 
lie  \\as  llie  clerk  of  the  parish,  was  ciiairnian  i  f  couiinittees  lor 
the  transaction  of  their  most  difficnit  and  deliciite  hnsine-s,  froTn 
lime  to  time,  and  was  the  principal  man  in  the  clmrch  ;  the  com- 
forter of  the  afflicted,  a  guide  to  the  en(]uiring,  and  an  example 
to  all  in  christian  zeal,  faith,  and  purity  o(  hie. 

A  letter  has  fallen  into  my  hands  which  Dea.  I'dward  wrote  to 
his  son  Kdward  when  in  the  army,  hcirinji  date  2«ih  Atiij.  1777, 
which  is  a  most  inlcrestiig  and  valnahle  relic  ol  the  man.  In 
grammatical  coin^triiction,  piiiily  ol' diction,  in  penmanship  and 
the  sentiments  ol  elevated,  pure,  sinijde  piety,  and  paienltil  ten- 
derness with  which  it  ahoiiiuls,  it  shous  that  he  was  not  onlv  a 
christian,  a  father  who  was  deeply  solicitous  for  the  spiritual 
good  of  his  children,  and  a  true  patriot,  but  a  very  intelligent 
man  for  that  day. 

The  house  in  which  he  lived  and  wlipre  he  brought  up  his  fanri- 
ily,  is  still  standing  on  the  east  side  of  the  way,  and  the  first  south 
of  the  meeting-house.  His  s(m,  the  late  Dy.  Calviii  Chap  n,  grad- 
uated at  Yale  College  in  I78S,  w,.s  tor  a  time  tutor  in  Colle^Le, 
studied  theology,  and  settled  in  the  pari-h  id'  R(m  Uy  Hill,  Weth- 
ersfieid,  Ct.,  where  he  labored  the  remainder  of  his  life,  a  very 
distinguished  and  valuable  minister  of  the  gospel.  For  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  college  corpoiation,  and  the  Re- 
cording Secretary  of  the  American  Board. 

The  Rev.  Aaron  L.  Chajiin,  now  S'resident  of  i'eloii  College, 
Wis.,  is  the  grandson  (»f  Aai  on,  who  was  the  eldest  son  of  Deac-. 
Edward,  and  who  lived  in  Hartford.  JN'one  id'  the  descendants 
of  Deac.  Edward's  family  are  remaining  here.  'When  he  died, 
it  was  indeed  a  dark  and  gloorny  day  for  this  church,  for  its  main 
earthly  pillar  was  then  removed,  and  utter  extinction  seemed  in- 
evitable. For  eleven  years  they  had  already  been  witliuut  an 
officiating  pastor,  death  was  making  inroads  upon  the  members 
of  the  church,  the  additions  were  \eiy  few,  and  ruin  seemed  to 
be  at  the  door. 

In  1804  the  number  of  male  members  of  the  chuich  was  only 
7,  there  were  a  few  more  females,  bat  altogether  they  were  indeed 
a  little  band,  without  a  preacher  or  deacon,  without  nuleed  a 
leading  member  to  take  charge  of  their  meetings,  for  Wr.  Mc 
Kinstry  had  now  become  very  old,  and  very  infirm.  Bui  in  the 
Lt)rd  there  was  still  a  friend,  one  i\  ho  remembered  his  Zion,  e\  en 


15 

in  her  wealiness,  and  who  in  mercy  directed  hither  the  feet  of  one 
who  was  willing  to  take  and  to  hear  responsil)ility  for  liis  Lurd 
and  iMastcr.  A  valuable  accession  to  this  little  hand  of  believers 
■was  made  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Amos  Skeele,  who  being  a  pro- 
fessional man  anrl  a  devoted  christian,  removed  from  Soniers  to 
this  place  in  1S04.  Mr.  Caleb  Pendleton  moved  into  the  place 
and  nnited  with  the  cluirch  about  the  same  time;  he  was  a  good 
reader  and  aided  them  mnch.  But  still  this  was  one  of  the  waste 
places  of  Zion. 

The  number  was  so  small  that  were  willing  to  be  taxed  for  the 
support  of  the  gospel,  that  after  doing  all  they  could,  together 
with  the  little  help  they  received  from  the  Missionary  Society, 
they  could  hire  preaching  but  a  small  portion  of  the  year,  and 
on  Dr.  Skeele  and  Mr.  I'endleton  devolved  the  responsibility  of 
conducting  religious  worship  the  rest  of  the  time. 

Mr.  Skeele  was  chosen  to  the  office  of  Deac.  about  8  years  af- 
ter his  removal  to  this  place,  so  that  for  12  years  the  church  was 
destitute  of  even  so  much  as  an  officer. 

What  a  picture  of  desolation,  poverty  and  gloom  is  presented 
in  this  pari  of  our  history.  It  is  a  cold  and  winter  day — there  is 
no  bell  to  summon  the  community  to  the  house  of  worship,  and 
no  signal  to  mark  the  hour  of  meeting.  The  wind  howls  around 
the  old  and  shattered  temple,  playing  vvarrtonly  with  its  loose  and 
worn  out  covering,  and  forcing  its  way  through  crack  and  crevice 
and  broken  pane,  as  if  in  mockery  at  such  attempts  to  resist  its 
power.  And  there,  without  a  fire,  a  dozen  persons  assemble,  not 
to  be  charmed  with  the  performances  of  a  gifted  and  eloquent 
preacher,  but  to  attend  a  ileacons'  meeting.  A  portion  of  scrip- 
ture is  read,  a  hymn  given  out,  but  there  is  no  leader  and  tliey 
cannot  sing;  a  prayer  is  oft'ered  and  a  sermon  read.  The  {c\y 
hearers  are  scattered  over  the  house  shivering  with  the  cold,  and 
listening  as  devoutly  as  circumstances  will  permit.  Another  pray- 
er is  oti'ered,  and  the  morning  service  is  closed. 

In  the  P.  M.  they  assend>le  again,  just  enough  to  make  desola- 
tion desolate,  go  through  with  the  services  and  retire.  And  these 
meetings  thus  conducted,  were  continued,  not  for  two  or  three 
Sabbaths  only,  hut  a  quarter  part  of  the  time  for  35  years.  For 
the  last  10  years  of  his  life,  the  burden  was  on  Deac.  Kdwarl 
Chapin.  And  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  did  Dr.  Skeele 
and  his  associates  assemble  in  their  dilapidated  teni[)Ie  every  Sab- 
bath, and  there  they  conducted  the  public  worship  of  their  cov- 


16 

enant  keeping  God,  according  to  tlie  best  of  their  ability.  In- 
deed at  that  time  it  yvas  necessary  for  that  Utile  band  to  walk  by 
faith,  for  there  were  no  appearances,  not  so  much  as  a  cloud  the 
bigness  of  a  man's  hand,  that  could  afford  them  hope  of  better 
times  to  come.  Yet  in  those  days  of  weakness,  and  fear,  and 
much  trembhng,  these  servants  of  the  Lord  faltered  not,  but  to 
the  best  of  their  ability  discharged  the  obligations  that  were  laid 
so  heavily  upon'them  ;  and  preacher  or  no  preacher,  the  sanctu- 
ary was  :hro\vn  open,  and  a  worshipping  assembly  was  gathered 
there  every  Sabbath  ;  the  waiting  eyes  of  these  few  sheep  were 
turned  beseechingly  unto  tlie  great  shepherd,  and  though  they 
waited  long,  they  waited  not  in  vain  While  these  men  were 
waiting,  God  was  for  years  by  his  providence  and  grace,  disci- 
plining and  preparing  for  them  an  under  shepherd,  who  at  the 
appointed  time  should  come  to  them  in  the  fullness  of  christian 
love,  consecrated  to  his  Master's  service. 

Mr.  Alexander  Phoenix  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  merchant  in 
N.  Y,  graduated  at  Washington  College,  and  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  the  legal  profession.  After  a  time,  he  laid  aside  his  law 
books  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  but  in  this  he  was 
unsuccessful,  and  domestic  afflictions  pressed  heavily  upon  him, 
till  feeling  thai  his  way  was  hedged  up  on  every  side,  he  was  led 
at  last  like  Saul  of  Tarsus,  to  enT|4jire  what  the  Lord  would  have 
him  do  ] 

Though  late  in  life  his  mind  was  directed  to  the  study  of  the- 
ology, tiial  he  might  prepare  himself  to  build  up  some  one  of 
tlie  waste  places  in  Zion.  He  became  a  preacher,  and  when  in 
the  earjiest  of  his  labors,  his  feet  were  directed  to  Chicopee,  he 
was  at  once  convinced  that  he  had  found  the  waste  place  in 
which  he  was  to  labor.  And  when  Deac.  Skeele  and  others  re- 
ceived an  intimation  that  Mr.  Phoenix  might  be  induced  to  settle 
with  them,  their  joy  was  such  as  words  could  not  express  ;  they 
were  so  few  and  feeble  and  bad  been  so  long  destitute  of  a  pastor, 
that  to  have  an  evangelical,  devoted  minister  settled  over  them, 
was  more  than  they  had  even  dared  to  expect,  it  was  rather  an 
object  of  hope.  But  it  was  even  so.  On  the  28th  of  April,  1824, 
Mr.  Alexander  Phoenix  was  ordained  and  installed  as  pastor  of 
this  Church,  which  on  that  memorable  day,  received  indeed  an 
ascension  gift.  This  was  the  dawn  of  brighter  days.  The  peo- 
ple flocked  to  the  house  of  God,  and  listened  with  joy  to  the 
message  of  grace  as  the  new  pastor  opened  and  pressed  home  the 


17 

truth.  For  thirty-five  years  the  church  had  been  >vithout  an  ol- 
ficiatiiig  Pastor.  In  a  year  and  a  half  from  this  time,  the  new 
meeting  house  was  dedicated  to  the  God  of  Israel,  and  the  old 
one  in  which  the  fathers  74  years  before  had  bowed  and  worship- 
ped the  covenant  keeping  God,  was  removed  and  devoted  to  a 
secular  purpose. 

Five  years  passed  away  and  then  in  1831,  that^ear  of  the  right 
hand  of  God,  that  year  of  revivals  beyond  all  others  in  modern 
days,  when  in  all  parts  of  New  England  such  multitudes  were 
brought  into  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  this  church  was  not  *'  left 
as  a  peace  not  rained  upon."  For  here  too  the  showers  of  grace 
descended,  the  church  was  revived  and  greatly  strengthened  in 
numbers  and  graces.  A  large  proportion  of  the  adults  came  out 
on  the  Lord's  side,  and  a  great  moral  change  was  visible  in  the 
whole  aspect  of  society.  There  were  about  40  additions  made 
as  the  fruits  of  that  revival,  and  during  the  whole  of  Mr.  Phoe- 
nix's ministry  of  eleven  years  there  were  about  76  members 
added  to  the  church. 

A  great  debt  of  gratitude  is  due  to  Mr.  Phcenix  from  this  peo- 
ple, for  his  faithful  and  self-denying  labors  here,  for  he  received 
but  a  nominal  salary,  being  a  man  of  wealth  he  lived  mostly  from 
his  own  private  means,  while  the  church  and  parish  gained 
strength  and  character  every  year.  When  he  came,  though  the 
church  was  receiving  aid  from  the  Missionary  Society,  with  all 
they  could  do  they  could  support  preaching  but  a  quarter  or  half 
the  time.  But  with  their  new  Pastor  was  added  strength,  the 
meeting  house  was  built,  and  the  debt  was  paid,  foreign  aid  to 
support  the  gospel  was  no  longer  needed,  and  the  various  causes 
of  benevolence  have  received  annually  the  contributions  of  this 
church  and  people.  Thus  was  their  ability  increased  by  their 
effort  to  support  the  gospel  ministry.  Mr.  Phoenix  left  when  he 
felt  that  duty  called  him  away,  but  still  in  the  evening  of  his  days 
he  looks  back  upon  those  11  years  of  his  pastorate  here  as  the 
happiest  and  most  useful  portion  of  his  life.  He  had  been  the 
means  of  raising  this  church  to  a  self-sustaining  state,  and  had 
thus  prepared  the  way  for  another  pastor,  and  resigned  the 
charge. 

Blessings  on  his  memory  !     The  reward  of  a  useful  man   will 

be  his.     Soon  after  Mr.  Phoenix  left,  the  Rev.  E,  B.  Wright  was 

installed  as  pastor  of  the  church ;  but  owing  to  his  feeble  health 

and  often  repeated  request,  the  parish  yielded  to  his  wish,  and  he 

3 


18 

was  dismissed  in  the  spring  of  1339,  after  a  pastorale  of  6  1-4 
years.  There  were  11  additions  to  the  church  during  his  minis- 
try. In  Oct.  of  the  same  year  the  present  incunihent  was  induct- 
ed into  the  office  of  pastor  over  this  flock,  whose  Iiumhie  labors 
God  has  seen  fit,  in  a  measure,  to  bless. 

The  Lord  has  allowed  us  to  enjoy  frequent  seasons  of  refresh- 
ing from  his  convicting  and  converting  Spirit,  so  that  during  these 
thirteen  years.  85  members  have  been  added  to  the  churcli,  56  of 
whom  were  received  on  profession,  and  the  rest  (29)  by  letter. 

There  are  at  present  85  members  of  the  church,  nearly  half  of 
whom  are  Chapins.  Both  Japhet  and  Henry  are  represented  in 
their  descendants,  not  only  in  the  church,  but  in  its  officers. 
Dea.  Orange  Chapin,  descending  from  Japhet  through  Thomas, 
and  Dea.  Giles  S.  Chapin  from  Henry,  througli  Dea.  Benjamin. 
And  with  the  exception  of  about  35  years,  between  the  death  of 
Dea.  Edward,  when  for  some  12  years  there  was  no  Dea.,  and 
the  appointment  of  Dea.  Giles  S.  Chapin,  one  at  least,  and  some 
times  both  of  those  church  officers  have  borne  the  name  of  the 
honored  and  worthy  fathers  of  this  place,  from  the  time  of  the 
organization  of  the  church  to  the  present  day. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  church  100  years  ago,  great  are 
the  changes  that  have  taken  place.  Then  the  country  was  new 
and  the  conveniences  and  comforts  of  the  people  few  and  mea- 
ger. The  houses  were  unpainted,  the  yards  unfenced,  and  their 
furniture  and  tools  of  rude  construction.  They  were  destitute  of 
carriages  of  all  kinds,  but  the  oxcart,  and  money  was  exceedingly 
scarce.*  What  a  contrast  do  we  now  behold  in  the  air  of  neat- 
ness and  comfort  which  every  where  appears  around  us,  and 
within  the  humblest  dwellings  in  our  midst. 

Then  there  was  no  sabbath  school  to  draw  the  minds  of  chil- 
dren   and  youth  to  tlie   oracles  of  God,   and  no  religious  books 
adapted  to  the  capacities   of  children.     But  -^Ift  persons  could    . -€^f^ 
even  write  their  names,  and  for  mental  improvement  the  advan- 

*  As  an  evidence  of  the  scarcity  of  money,  I  find  an  old  church  record  con- 
taining the  names  of  the  church  members  in  1752,  in  1753,  in  1754,  in  1756, 
and  1757,  and  a  regular  tax  of  sixpence  was  annually  assessed  upon  each  mem- 
ber to  defray  the  communion  expenses,  and  even  this  was  too  heavy  for  some 
to  pay  as  it  appears  from  the  fact  that  the  names  of  nine  persons  are  placed  by 
themselves  as  being  behind  in  their  taxes  for  the  year  1756.  From  1757  on- 
ward for  more  than  half  a  century,  I  can  find  no  church  record  and  no  evidence 
111  at  one  was  kept. 


19 

tages  were  small  indeed,  for  their  public  ecliools  lacked  almost 
every  thing  but  perseverance  that  was  necessary  to  make  them 
attractive  and  useful.  Then  a  bible  was  so  costly,  that  Japhet 
Chapin  made  provision  in  liis  will  that  a  portion  of  his  property 
should  be  appropriated  to  get  each  of  his  grand  children  a  bible. 
Now,  the  common  day  laborer  may  carry  home  four  beautifully 
bound,  clearly  printed,  elegant  bibles  in  pay  for  a  single  day's 
work.  The  whole  missionary  enterprise  has  risen  up  since  that 
time.  We  have  frequenily  given  more  in  a  single  year  to  the 
cause  of  benevolence  than  the  wliole  of  Mr.  McKinstry's  salary, 
although  the  parish  is  now  reduced  in  its  area  to  less  than  half 
its  former  size.  I  have  no  time  to  speak  of  the  changes  that  have 
taken  place  around  us,  though  the  Chicopee  and  the  Connecticut 
have  been  pressed  into  the  service  of  man,  and  the  tramp  of  the 
iron  horse  is  hourly  heard,  dashing  across  our  plain  with  his 
mighty  train  and  the  lightning  tell  us  the  news  of  the  day. 

But  one  lesson  I  would  have  deeply  impressed  upon  our  minds, 
and  that  is,  gratitude,  not  only  to  those  good  men  who  planted  these 
institutions,  but  to  those  who,  at  a  later  day  in  trial,  and  in  deep 
poverty,  clung  for  years  to  the  sanctuary  and  the  institutions  of 
religion  with  a  death  grasp,  and  thus  handed  down  to  us  the  pre- 
cious blessings  of  a  living  church.  To  them  no  sacrifice  seemed 
too  great  to  secure  and  transmit  to  their  children  the  blessings  of 
the  sanctuary.  A  view  of  their  toils,  sacrifices,  and  self-denials, 
should  cause  our  hearts  to  cluster  around  the  stated  means  of 
grace,  the  institutions  of  religion  with  warmer  affection,  and  lead 
us  to  strive  the  more  to  make  them  minister  to  our  good.  A 
great  debt  of  gratitude  is  due  to  their  memory  for  the  precious 
influence  which  comes  down  to  us  from  them — and  let  their  de- 
scendants ever  cherish  toward  them  the  deepest  emotions  of  ven- 
eration and  affection. 

From  this  history  we  learn  how  intimately  connected  is  the 
support  of  religious  institutions  w^ith  the  temporal  as  well  as 
spiritual  good  of  the  people.  No  community  can  aftord  to  live 
without  the  sabbath  and  sanctuary  privileges.  We  see  as  in 
letters  of  light  that  godliness  is  profitable  unto  all  things,  having 
promise  of  this  life  that  now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come. 
May  God  deeply  impress  this  lesson  upon  our  minds,  and  in  emu- 
lating the  virtues  of  our  fathers,  may  we  be  able  by  grace  to  trans- 
fer to  future  generations  these  same  gospel  institutions  in  their 
purity  and  moral  power. 


20 

As  we  liave  thus  glanced  over  the  history  of  the  church,  many 
places  appear  where  the  members  might  erect  their  Ebenezer  and 
say  with  emphasis,  "  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us;"  while 
under  all  the  circumstances,  the  present  existence  of  this  churcli 
is  a  monument  of  the  faithfulness  of  God  to  his  covenant  with  his 
humble  and  confiding  children,  and  an  illustration  of  the  truth  of 
the  text,  "My  word  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy  mouth,  nor  out  of 
the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed 
saith  the  Lord,  from  hence  forth  and  forever." 


APPENDIX. 


The  following  letter  is  an  exact  copy  of  the  original,  capital  letters,  punctua- 
tion, spelling  and  all,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  paragraphs  omitted.  This 
and  that  of  Josiah  Chapin  together  with  many  other  valuable  and  interesting 
papers  was  found  by  the  author  of  this  discourse  in  an  old  chest  in  a  neighbor's 
garret. 

Springfield  Thursday  2S  Aug.  1777. 
Dear  Son 

After  long  waiting  for  intelligence  from  you  to  know  where 
to  direct  a  Letter  &  still  receiving  none  as  yet,  what  has  become  of  the  Post 
we  expected  we  know  not,  or  what  part  you  are  ordered  to  or  where  stationed, 
I  no  longer  refrain  from  writing  hoping  a  few  lines  may  find  way  to  you  by 
some  means  or  other.  Part  of  the  Militia  being  called  for ;  Capt  Ephraim 
Chapin  is  preparing  to  march  soon  to  the  Northward,  I  expect  to  send  this  by 
him  or  Seba  Bemont  M'ho  goes  his  waiter,  hoping  proper  care  will  be  taken  to 
know  where  your  Kegnt  is  &  send  this  to  you,  for  I  conclude  there  is  commu- 
nication  open  from  North  to  South  as  yet,  but  how  soon  it  may  be  otherwise 
we  know  not,  for  it  seems  that  the  Continental  officers  are  expert  in  Runing  to 
the  amazement  &  confusion  of  those  that  trusted  in  them.  You  can  hardly 
conceive  what  a  shock  it  gave  us  at  home  when  we  heard  that  Ticondaroga 
with  the  stores  &  everything  was  left  to  the  Enemy  without  so  much  as  trying 
to  defend  it.  Such  vast  expense  of  labor  &  cost  to  build  and  store  it,  &  all 
thrown  away  in  an  hour !  Confusion  on  somebody  .'* — but  this  is  according  to 
the  language  &  ideas  of  this  vain  World.  Let  us  now  raise  our  thoughts  to  a 
Divine  Superintending  Providence,  that  governs  all  the  afiairs  of  Men,  &:  we 
shall  remember  that  vast  armies  have  been  destroyed  «&  imense  treasures  lost 
from  time  to  time  in  ages  past,  when  a  covenant  professing  people  forsook  the 
Law  «&  broke  the  just  command  of  a  Holy  God,  —  how  like  to  this  is  our  case. 
It  seems  that  as  we  have  persisted  in  walking  contrary  to  God,  that  God  is  de- 
lermined  to  walk  contrary  to  us  (as  he  declared  to  the  Jews  of  old  by  the  mouth 
of  his  prophets)  untill  we  think  on  our  way,  &  return  unto  him  by  penitent 
confession  of  &  heartily  forsaking  our  sins.  This  is  no  discouraging  consid- 
eration neither,  for  it  will  remain  an  ev^erlasting  truth  (which  the  prophet  of  old 
was  directed  to  proclaim)  Say  unro  the  righteous  it  shall  be  well  with  him.  Of 
what  importance  must  it  then  be  to  every  individual  person  to  secure  an  inter- 
est in  the  Divine  favor  in  such  a  day  of  dark  and  gloomy  aspects  as  the  present 

*On  the  5th  of  July  preceding  the  date  of  this  letter  Ticonderoga  was  surrPiulered  by 
the  Americaiiij  under  General  St.  Clair,  to  the  British  commander.  General  Burgoyne. 


22 

day  Is.  Is  it  not  enough  to  astonish  &  even  confound  any  thinking  person  to 
see  such  numbers  in_railitary  Array  for  the  Defence  of  our  Religion  «fc  Liber- 
ties, &  at  the  same  time  by  their  Impious  Language  &  practices  provoking  & 
even  Daring  Heaven's  wiiole  Artillery  to  Discharge  upon  this  Guilty  Land  in 
heaviest  vollies.  Certainly  it  may  be  said  to  the  Wicked  It  shall  go  ill  wijh 
him.  But  notwithstanding  all  Ihe  gloomy  aspects  we  are  under  there  is  ground 
of  hope;  for  the  foundation  remaineth  sure,  he  thai  repenteih  fe  lorsaketh  his 
sin  shall  Snd  mercy.  It  would  seem  as  if  a  merciful  God  was  not  only  waiting 
for  our  rciurn  to  him,  but  most  earnestly  inviting  us  thereto;  by  sundry  kind 
interpositions  of  his  Providence  in  the  great  plenty  of  the  fruits  of  the  Earth 
for  our  sustenance,  the  successlul  Battle  at  Fort  Stauwix  &  also  at  Bennington. 
*  *  *  *  * 

Perhaps  you  may  have  heard  before  this  that  cousin  Lieut.  Israel  Chapin 
very  narrowly  escaped  Death  &  Captivity  In  the  Battle  near  Ti —  when  Sergt 
Nathan  Chapin  &  Gideon  Chapin  were  Captivated  ;  with  sundry  others  belong- 
ing to  Springfield.  But  Sergt  Nathan  behaved  himself  so  steaddv  and  honest 
amongst  them  that  he  embraced  a  very  fair  opportunity  to  bring  off  nine  with 
him,  they  did  not  like  to  wait  (it  seems)  for  an  exchange  of  prisoners  they 
being  ordered  to  go  in  a  boat  to  Crown  Foint  to  mow  their  grass  for  them,  & 
having  only  one  inhabitlant  in  the  boat  with  them;  they  entertained  him  so 
generously  with  a  bottle  of  Rum  (which  they  were  allowed  to  carry  for  their 
own  refreshment  while  mowing)  that  he  fell  into  a  very  sound  sleep,  upon 
which  they  rowed  the  boat  to  a  port  of  their  own  choosing  »fc  left  their  pilot  to 
finish  his  nap  in  the  boat,  &  advanced  with  a  quick  step  homeward.  The  Sergt 
arrived  home  this  day  fortnight  in  health,  tho  much  fatigued  which  gave  us  all 
great  joy,  he  behaved  valiantly  in  the  fight,  Discreetly  when  in  captivity  and 
Courageously  in  the  arduous  undertaking  of  making  his  escape.  *  *  *  * 
As  his  escape  was  in  answer  to  fervent  prayers  I  hope  it  is  acknowledged  with 
gratitude  to  the  great  Arbitor  of  all  Events. 

My  Dear  Dear  Child  I  want  to  tell  you  something  of  the  trying  disappoint- 
ments which  have  happened  to  me  relating  to  your  situation  &  to  begin  with 
my  meeting  you  at  Worcester  in  so  weak  a  state  if  I  could  have  gained  the 
consent  of  the  two  gentlemen  with  whom  I  was  going  to  court  I  should  have 
turned  about  &  helped  you  home,  but  that  was  not  to  be  had  —  then  I  wrote  a 
letter  &  sent  giving  advice  for  the  recovery  of  your  health,  but  that  you  did  not 
receive.  I  made  haste  homeward  with  full  expectation  of  hnding  you  there, 
but  to  my  great  grief  found  you  gone  3  days  before  my  arrival ;  «Sc  what 
wounded  me  very  sensibly  was  that  you  was  so  unfit  on  account  of  your  weak 
state,  &  yet  could  not  have  time  to  stay  a  few  days  to  recruit  your  health  at 
home.  I  thought  of  following  after  to  bring  j'ou  back,  but  when  I  considered 
how  far  you  migiit  have  got  I  dispaired  of  overtaking  you,  &  then  my  only 
relief  in  that   anxiety  for  your  welfare  was  to  recommend  you  to  God  &  his 

And  blessed  be  God  for  the  consolation  affigrded  upon  the  rect  of  your  little 
Letter  of  the  24  June,  which  was  much  more  welcome  to  us  than  a  thirty  Dol- 
lar Bill  could  have  been.  There  you  express  yourself  in  the  most  comforiing 
language  when  you  profess  to  put  your  trust  in  the  Lord,  &  we  hope  you  may 
not  be  deceived  in  so  important  a  matter  —  &  indeed  it  is  the  crown  of  our 
wishes  for  you  it  our  daily  prayers  that  you  may  be  enabled  by  divine  grace  so 


23 

to  trust  in  the  Lord  as  to  dwell  ssecure  from  fear  of  evil.  Those  &  only  thosa 
are  safe  who  do  truly  trust  in  the  Lord,  be  sure,  take  heed  you  dont  deceive 
yourself  in  so  important  a  matter  I  am  very  sensible  of  the  need  you  stand  in 
of  Divine  special  Grace  to  enable  you  to  resist  the  snares  &  temptations  you  are 
surrounded  with,  &  would  therefore  charge  you  again  with  the  most  affection- 
ate tenderness  to  stand  fast  in  the  Faith  of  Divine  Kevelation  for  the  truths 
therein  recorded  are  firmer  than  mountains  of  brass,  &  will  remain  forever. 
My  son  if  sinners  entice  thee  consent  thou  not.  *  *  You  may  be  sure  that 
you  are  daily  and  repeatedly  remembered  at  the  Throne  of  Grace,  dont  be 
wanting  on  your  part  in  working  out  your  salvation.  It  gives  me  joy  to  think 
&  hope  that  you  have  engaged  in  the  arduous,  necessary  joyful  work  —  if  you 
have  indeed  fixed  your  trust  in  the  Lord,  you  are  safe,  &z  we  are  happy  -  Fare- 
well. 

This  with  the  love  of  your  Mama  Brothers  &  Sister  comes  from  your  affec- 
tionate Father  Edward  Chapin. 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  deacons  in  this  Church. 

Benjamin  Chapin,         elected  in       J752        died     1756    aged 

David  Chapin,  "  1752  "        1772      " 

Samuel  Cooper, 

Edward  Chapin, 

Amos  Skeele, 

Simeon  Stedman, 

Joseph  Pease, 

Giles  S.  Chapin, 

Orange  Chapin, 


1773  "  1800 

1813  resigned  1825 

1825  "  1837 

1825  died  1839 
1837 
1840 


74 
90 

76 


